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CPC (cost per click)
CPC is the price an advertiser pays each time someone clicks an ad, the usual model for search advertising.
Search ads are sold by auction on a per-click basis: you pay nothing for being shown, only when somebody clicks. The price is set by what competing advertisers bid for the same query.
A low CPC is only good if the clicks convert. The number that matters is the most you can pay for a click and still profit — your break-even CPC.